The Everglade’s Primal Spirit: Unseen and Unknown.
The Everglades gives off a hauntingly dark and difficult to describe feeling.The contrasting, beautiful yet grotesque textures, patterns and landscapes in the everglades attract and inspire. What is this horned god primal spirit presenting itself in the reflections of nature?

As I peeked into the heavy mangroves and coastal brush looking for crocs, gators and panthers, I wondered what kind of creature, overseer or genius loci may lurk behind the scenes. I imagined that the entity may be best suited with hooves like the miniature key deer of the area. Suddenly the goat like image of Pan entered my mind. Back at home, the coincidence of this horned god primal spirit showing up in the reflections was startling to me. Interestingly enough, I have had several dreams of Pan before. One of which, my co-workers hunted and killed Pan like an animal. After tragically realizing what they had done, they asked me for a forgiveness which I could not find. Pan is the god of the wild, shepherds, flocks, nature, hunting and music. Pan was a companion of the nymphs whose home, Arcadia, was celebrated as an unspoiled, harmonious wilderness.

The response from these reflections of nature is personally associative. Native American artist, Duncan Pheasant, of Ontario Canada, sees the Manitou Spirit. Manitou is a term used to designate spirit beings among many different Native Americans groups. Manitou Spirit refers to the concept of an interconnected balance between nature and life. Duncan’s beautiful paintings communicate his ancestral spirits and relationship to the land. Friend and artist, Richard Kirk sees a horned god as well as “Warring Trilobites.” A trilobite is a prehistoric exoskeleton arthropod with antennae like horns. Richard’s interests include nature, prehistoric insects and unconscious contents, all of which can be seen in his impressive otherworldly body of work. Artist and friend, Andy Paciorek sees the Genius Loci of the Everglades as part amphibian and part insect. Andy’s quick expressionism style brings forth a plethora of mythological beasts and balancing mystical tales.

Many folks see personalized conscious or unconscious contents within the photography reflections. I believe this is because the reflection of nature’s deep patterns reveal a view into something primal, unseen and unknown.